Her Smile
by mysticxf
Summary: Hurley falls in love.


Lost belongs to JJ Abrams and Crew. I'm just borrowing for fun. Result of a challenge from a friend. Hurley falls in love.

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Lost – Her Smile  
by Mystic  
April 25th 2005

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I guess I liked her because she smiled at me. And it wasn't that 'hey, dude, you're in my light' smile I get from girls all the time. It was sweet and plain and, I don't know, honest. Not used to girls smiling at me like that. We were sitting in the sand with commotion all around us – people screaming, waves crashing, fireballs erupting – and I asked her if she was alright. She was breathing hard, her hand on that monstrous belly and she shook her head.

"I think I've gone into labor, we just crashed, do I look alright?" She managed to huff between breaths.

I grin and shrug. "Could be worse, I guess."

"Howso?" Her blue eyes rise quickly, meeting mine and my eyebrows shoot up quickly.

"Dude, we could be dead."

That's when she smiled. It was slow, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly and then her lips spread revealing too-white teeth that made me chuckle to myself. Her hand came off her belly just long enough to give me a playful shove, which didn't budge my frame, but it put a soft indent in my shoulder as my cheeks burned. I was glad I was already crimson, sweating and panting from having run her to safety.

Not long after, Jack's shouting at us to move and I'm not even on the beach. I'm in her smile and her conversation. She's talking about how she used to be. Skinny and adventurous and happy. In my imagination, we're frolicking on the beach and I'm not heaving like I normally do after trying to frolic on the beach. She's laughing with me, not like most girls laugh at me. Jack's interrupting my imagination and I want to yell at him. Dude, I'm getting my mack on here, back the eff off. But then I hear it, the slow creak of metal bending against metal and we're on our feet.

Laying in the sand, my face covered in the soft stuff, I'm feeling foolish and she's looking at me. I want to bury my face, but when Jack leaves, she helps me up. No one's ever helped me up before, they usually just point and laugh. She's not like other girls, and I'm starting to think there's maybe something there. Maybe I finally found the girl. On this God forsaken island after the jumblefuck that was the crash. Maybe there was some good fortune here.

But the shrimp gives her a witty retort, a wide eyed grin, a jar of fake peanut butter and she's all over him. Maybe she is just like all the other girls. Harsh. So I set my sights elsewhere only, there's no elsewhere to look. There's the skinny brat, the weird Asian chick and the fugitive. Fugitive's nice enough, but… dude, fugitive. There are a few other girls, most of them seem lost in their own little worlds, or they're already paired up.

I've noticed it's been happening—the pairing.

I guess it's just natural. Girls need guys; guys need girls. It's a survival thing or something. Problem is, my girl's got her guy, even got him playing daddy to her baby. Sometimes I watch him and think: I could take him. He's about two feet tall – twig figured – and I could knock him out and bury him and no one'll know. They'll think the others came to finish the job. But it's not in my nature to be mean, it's never been.

"Hey, Hurley," Shannon calls with a grin. She startles me. Maybe if she'd get some meat on her bones, a person could see her coming through the trees, or hear her footsteps.

"Hey." It's weak and I make myself stop staring at Claire who's sitting several yards away under a tree like I am, only she's breast feeding the rug-rat that doesn't have a name yet. I glance up at Shannon and notice her eyes seem hollowed, dark, like she'd been crying. Granted, brother just died, but I never got the impression they were that close.

She sits and I shift awkwardly. "Shouldn't stare," she warns and my sight drifts to the ground. Busted, dumbass.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people," I respond, the words emerging in a stutter of nerves.

Shannon smiles. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was looking for a place to be alone."

"Want me to leave?" I ask sincerely. But she raises a hand and I don't move. I find myself looking for Sayid, knowing the two have been spending loads of time together lately. Shannon starts to laugh. It's a soft laugh, not the cackle I'd expect from her. "What's so funny?"

"You," she tells me and I hate her brutal honesty. She's exactly like all the girls I've ever known. "I didn't see it before," she half whispers, her gaze floating towards.

"Didn't see what?" I dig my hands into the sand at my sides and dare to look at her.

"It's funny where love takes you, isn't it." She smiles at me. "You know my brother wasn't really my brother, right?" She waves a hand and shakes her head. "Not by blood anyways."

"Yeah," I nod even though I didn't know. They looked like Barbie and Ken to me. Cut from the same stupid mold.

"I fucked him the week before the flight," she admits, her eyes welling up. "I used him because he was in love with me and I was feeling lonely."

"Uh, why are you telling me this?" I ask. It seems harsh, I mean, the girl's laying her heart out for me to see and I'm like, 'whatthefuck?' which should be my reaction 'cause now I'm having real gross mental images of Shannon boinking Boone's brains out.

"It's funny where love takes you," she repeats.

"Uh, why are you telling me this?" I manage to stutter again.

Her eyes find mine and she smiles. "You're in love with Claire." It's not a question, and I shrug my shoulders.

"You sayin' I should do something about it?" I'm guessing because I'm an ass and that's what asses do – they make asses out of themselves in front of beautiful girls over other beautiful girls. Then the beautiful girls giggle and point and tell all their beautiful boys who giggle and point…

"No."

It takes me by surprise.

"She's taken, Hurley."

"Things change." I purse my lips and raise my eyebrows and then grin at her. She laughs in response, but it's weak. I guess I shouldn't expect much, bro just met his maker and all.

"Unless you plan to lose a hundred pounds and drop the 'dude' you're just not her type. I'm guessing the baby's father was a bit like Charlie too."

"You sayin' I'm fat?" I glare. "That's not what matters to everyone."

"Yes." Shannon sighs. "It is."

Standing, I grunt at her and walk into the jungle. I don't even see Sun as she's poking holes in the ground, I just stomp through her garden and stop only after she's shouted several obsenities in Korean. I'm guessing they're obsenities. She looks aweful pissed.

"STOP!" She shouts.

"What? Dude? What?" I raise my hands and take several steps away from her.

"You're walking in the garden!" Sun points and I roll my head back.

I sigh loudly and she smiles. It's a nice smile, but Michael emerges from the trees with a pretty little home-made scooper for her digging. Damn coupling. I ignore her shouting and go through a second garden before I realize there's a whole damned line of 'em, so I head into the jungle. It's loud in the jungle, easy to take your mind off things. Also pretty easy to walk directly into the clearing where Jack and Kate are totally making out. Like hands all over each other hot mama making out. I'm laughing and they're fumbling, fixing buttons and adjusting shirts. It's kind of funny.

"Dude, sorry." I wave a hand. "You can swing it back up to NC-17 in just a second."

They grin, Kate gives me that worried smile, the one where her eyes are just, creased about as far as any person should. I'm sure she'll develop wrinkles first. Always looking all worried about everything.

"What's wrong Hurley?" It's her voice, sounding genuinely concerned and, like always, I've got this string of words running through my head. It's been happening since the day I saw her mugshot.

Fugutive, dude, cap in your ass for sure. Run for your life. America's Most Wanted, top ten special. Capital F Fugitive!

I grin, eyes wide and shrug my shoulders, watching the way Jack's eyebrows are lowering on his head like he thinks I'm some kind of weido. Don't blame him.

"Nah, nothing, just making my way to the beach."

She nods slowly and points, her tongue brushing gently along her bottom lip. "Beach's that way, Hurley. You sure you're alright?"

Again with the concern. It's seriously freaking me out. Dunno why, but I have this recurring dream where she's kicking my ass, nun-chucks and shit flying everywhere. It's pretty scary until hormones kick in and it gets better. Doesn't change the fact that in reality. FUGI-FUCKIN-TIVE.

"Good, good," I nod several times and wave, rushing through the vines back towards the beach where I basically trip. It's great when you're large and you trip 'cause while it hurts, it doesn't hurt too bad 'cause things just… bounce. I mean, rocks still dig and bruise, but in general, falling, not so bad. It's the whole where you end up that's not so cool.

In Claire's lap. Three feet from her left breast hanging out of her shirt. It's funny 'cause I'm telling my eyes to look at something else, like I dunno, the baby? Her face? Anything, but they're looking at her nipple which is kind of red and sore looking.

"Wow, must be a bitch," I manage.

"What…" she trails, pulling her top over her breast looking offended. Don't blame her.

"Breast feeding. I mean, I can't imagine someone sucking that hard on my nug every few hours." It sounds stupid, but it's said. It's out of the mouth and I can't take it back.

But she laughs. That's Claire for you. She doesn't even mind that I just got a half a Monty, she just thinks it's what it is: I fell and landed in an awkward spot. Her laughter dies down and she cradles her baby, giving him a kiss on the forehead gently while I pull myself around to sit next to her.

"Sorry, 'bout the… um…" I point at her top and she laughs.

"I's alright, are you ok? That sounded like one hell of a fall."

It's grinnin' time, I look back at the edge of the jungle. "Caught…" I started, but then wondered if it was their secret, Jack and Kate's, that they were making out in the first place. Certainly haven't seen them swapping spit anywhere in public. "Was running, trying to stay in shape. Gotta keep up the manly physique." I suck in my gut as best as possible and make a fake muscle.

"That's what I love about you Hurley, you make me laugh," Claire tells me. I blush and she shoves my shoulder playfully. Hard enough to make a soft indent for just a moment. And she smiles.

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Finis 


End file.
